Washington (AP) —Thursday federal health officials on nursing home workers Booster shot The number of cases of COVID-19 has increased rapidly among the staff, and there are concerns about delays in additional vaccinations between residents and staff.
The Omicron variant is “very fast and can’t afford the proliferation of COVID-19 in nursing homes,” Health and Welfare Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a livestream appeal to the industry. “You know that. You know that. Increasing the number of COVID cases can have a devastating effect on your loved ones.”
Nursing home Is a test site for President Joe Biden’s claim that the United States is much more prepared to deal with the virus, which has surged than last winter.Residents A small part of the population, They represent a disproportionate share of dead Americans in Coronavirus pandemic..Earlier this year The emergence of vaccines We have controlled the virus in the nursing home so that visitors can resume it.But that’s Return to normal May be at risk Omicron COVID-19 Pushes cases to new highs.
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According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of nursing home staff cases during the week up to December 27 surged to 10,353, an increase of nearly 80% from the previous week. The number of staff deaths has increased to 58, tripled from the previous week. Among the more vaccinated populations, cases increased slightly and the data did not show an increase in mortality.
Bethera says that only 57% of nursing home residents and 25% of staff have boosters, as medical professionals advise that booster shots are important to protect against Omicron. rice field. According to White House statistics, this is clearly behind the booster rate of about 66% of people over the age of 65 and about 45% of the adult population.
“We have to change that,” Besera said.
The government is calling on approximately 1,400 federal-funded community health centers nationwide to partner with local nursing homes in new vaccination campaigns.
Nursing home workers were to be fully vaccinated by January 4, under a previous order issued by the Medicare and Medicaid Service Centers. The directive was involved in a proceeding, The Supreme Court has set a special session next week Hear discussions about it, along with a much broader Biden-administered vaccine obligation to workers of all types of large corporations. Together, the order affects about 100 million employees.
“Once again, there are really zero nursing homes,” said David Grabowski, a professor of health policy at Harvard University, who is tracking the impact of pandemics on residents and staff. “You can often tell just by looking at a nursing home how well we are fighting this virus.”
Mr. Gravowski said the Biden administration should issue a warning now. “We see it over and over again. The higher the staff (infection) rate, the higher the resident rate,” he explained. Staff unknowingly bring in viruses from the surrounding community. This is a common trigger for the occurrence of nursing homes.
Vaccines will allow nursing homes to survive the delta variant surge earlier this year, and timely booster shots should be of great help in blocking Omicron. “The more vaccines and boosters we have, the more lives we will save during the winter,” Grabowski said.
However, some states already have problems.
Outbreaks of COVID-19 in nursing homes in Mississippi have nearly doubled in the past week, and authorities say the state may be heading for another massive surge in viral cases and hospitalizations. It states that it is showing.
There were 63 outbreaks in Mississippi nursing homes on Monday, about twice the number reported last week, state epidemiologist Dr. Paul Byers wrote in a mid-week note to Mississippi hospitals and healthcare providers. ..
Along with other data, it shows that “COVID-19 infection and the very rapid growth of infection … we are now in the fifth wave of COVID-19 in the state,” Buyers wrote. I am.
One of the major elderly home industry groups is driving the government’s promotion of boosters.
The American Health Care Association said in a statement that it requires members to “double their efforts to provide full vaccination and support to as many residents and staff as possible.”
The Associated Press writer Leah Willingham of Jackson, Mississippi contributed to this report.
Copyright 2021 AP communication. all rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission.
As the number of cases soars, nursing home workers are encouraged to get boosters | Health & Fitness
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